1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a human powered boat wherein a seated operator uses a pair of reciprocating pedals that power a side to side swishing fish tailed paddle, wherein the paddle is used for both propulsion of the vessel as well as steering of the vessel.
2. Background of the Prior Art
A pedal boat is a human powered water vessel that is typically used near shore and is often used where motorized boats are not appropriate such as in creeks, shallow draft rivers, small lakes or where regulations prohibit the use of motorized watercraft. These relatively small vessels are great for all kinds of activities including fishing, picnicking, and water photography, among many other uses. As a pedal boat is much more stable relative to its kayak and even canoe brethren, it is not unusual to see families with small children take to the water for a day of fun. As locomotion of the pedal boat is provided by one or more of the passengers of the boat, these vessels are also a good source of exercise.
Typically, a pedal boat is comprised of a pair of pontoons with seating overtop and between the pontoons, with the shell of the boat being made from an upper and a lower plastic form attached to each other. Foot pedals (occasionally some pedal boats have hand pedals) are located for access by the front seat passengers who rotatably pedal the pedals to make the boat move, forward pedaling for forward movement and reverse pedal for reverse movement. An axle that connects the left and right pedal pairs of the front passengers has a multi blade paddle wheel thereon that scoops through the water. Pedaling of the pedals rotates the axle, which rotates the blades of the paddle through the water in order to move the vessel. A tunnel between the seats provides the clearance for the rotating paddle. Typically a small handle is linked to a rudder that steers the boat. This basic design results in a low cost boat that provides hours of enjoyment.
A drawback of the typical pedal boat lies in the fact that, due to size constraints, the tunnel within which the paddle rotates, is relatively small, so that the paddle wheel itself is relatively small. A small paddle wheel means that even with rigorous pedaling of the pedals, only very slow speeds are obtained. While acceptable to some, many pedal boat operators want speed as well as a more rigorous workout than can be achieved with limited sized paddle wheels.
In order to address these concerns, some human powered boats rely on a fish tail paddle instead of the rotating paddle wheel found on the pedal boats described above. In a fish tail propulsion system, a single blade that is normally aligned with the central longitudinal axis of the vessel, is placed in the water and is swung side to side much like the tail of a fish in order to provide propulsion for the vessel. As such fish tail paddles are often located aftward of the hull of the vessel, their size if much less constrained relative to an under hull paddle wheel, so that relatively large paddles can be used. The use of a large paddle requires substantial energy from the operator in order to swing the paddle back and forth so that a rigorous workout can be achieved. Additionally, the large paddle can generate speeds for the vessel that are greater relative to the possible speed of a paddle wheel pedal boat.
While fish tail paddle powered boats are preferred by many relative to paddle wheel pedal boats, the fact that the blade of these boats goes from side to side, as opposed to continually in a circle in the case of paddle wheel blades, the mechanical architecture tends to be much more complex. This often results in the requirement that a substantial portion of the available real estate of the vessel is occupied by the propulsion system. Additionally, this complexity makes such boats more expensive to purchase as well as to maintain. Additionally, many fish tail paddle vessel operators complain that the articulation mechanism used to swing the paddle is jerky or otherwise not smooth, especially at the end of each pedal cycle.
What is needed is a human powered water vessel that uses a side to side swishing fish tail paddle configuration, that addresses the above stated problems. Specifically, such a vessel must be relatively simple in design and construction so as to be readily affordable to potential purchasers of this type of device. Such a vessel must be able provide a rigorous workout to an operator of such a vessel that desires a workout, all while allowing relatively strong speeds through the water. Powering the vessel by the operator must be relatively smooth across the entire pedaling cycle.